Credit
Bureaus

Your
first step is to find out exactly where your stand, and exactly what
information prospective creditors will have available to them. You must
contact all three of the major credit reporting
bureaus. Their business is to collect information on as many people as
possible, so, unless you are very young, or have totally avoided
credit, you are probably already in their databases. Also, you may or
may not be in one or more negative-information-only databases.
Additionally, there are other database/marketing companies that
probably hold information on you which may affect your credit standing.

The Major Credit Bureaus

Alternative Credit Bureaus

Rental Kharma
- Offers a system for reporting normal apartment rental payments as a
trade line to Trans Union. Note that this requires the landlord to be
willing to confirm that payments are being made on time.

Advanced Resolution Services is a subsidiary of
Visa, Inc, and appears to be used for supplimentary information in
addition to pulling a report from one of the major bureaus. Strangely,
they do not appear to have their own web site.